Summary "American Idol" - Top 12 Perform - March 16, 2010

Ryan says this is when we begin the countdown to the season finale. We get a video package on the Stones.

Tonight we learn a little about the contestants' life back home.

Theme: The Rolling Stones

Contestant #1: Michael Lynche. His mom wrote plays and he was a ham. He was really into football and then his mom passed away and he became less interested in football and music saved him. We see him with his wife and his new little baby. She says he's a great guy and he thinks his mom would be proud of the man he's becoming.

Song: "Miss You"

Performance: He adds a little soul flavor to the tune and lots of falsetto yelps. The churning background actually sounds a little like "Higher Ground." He works the stage from side to side, snapping and pointing.

Randy: Thought he slayed it.

Ellen: Thought it was lovable and a great way to start the night.

Kara: Thought he had style, swagger, and attitude just like the Stones did.

Simon: Thinks he's got his confidence up but the performance, especially the dancing was kind of corny but he sang well. He thought it was verging at time on a little desperate.

Ryan comes down and get in Simon's face about constructive criticism. Simon says the middle part was the bit he didn't love.



Contestant #2:Didi Benami On stool chat we learn Didi's mom is too nervous to watch her daughter her perform. In the video we learn she moved to L.A. four years ago and is the middle child of three sisters. Her mom says she was a high needs baby who screamed real loud. Mom has come out to hang with Didi during the "Idol" experience.

Song: "Play With Fire"

Performance: She slows it down a bit and gets serious. She sounds good but looks a bit too serious. She goes for some big notes, that sound okay but a little bit strained.

Randy: Thinks for the first time in weeks he thinks she's on fire.

Ellen: Thinks she has an amazing voice and is proud she has found her way back.

Kara: Thinks when she pushes on her voice she loses her way a little bit but she liked her dark intensity.

Simon: Thinks everyone else is right and that she's beginning to show who she is as an artist. Liked the song and thought it was solid but not brilliant and she can do even better.

She went darker because everyone's seen the sweet, emotional side and she wanted to show a little bit of her claws.



Contestant #3: Casey James is from Texas and his parents divorced when he was young. His mom raised he and his brother alone. He had a bad reaction to the pertussis vaccine and had seizures but he did fine and hummed tunes in the crib even before he talked. He says his whole family plays and sings and he's probably the least gifted of them. He credits his family with where he's at in life.

Song: "It's All Over Now"

Performance: He countrifies it up a bit with his twang. He's also playing slide guitar. He sounds good, putting a little grit on his voice. It's jaunty.

Randy: Is excited because he's back to the Casey he loves.

Ellen: She says most women's heart will race just looking at him but for people like her...blondes, she thought it was fantastic.

Kara: Thinks he was a rock star tonight and liked that it showed the soul in his voice.

Simon: Thinks he looks great, sang well, and played well but it was more like an audition performance. Wants him to use the big stage more and "be a star."



Contestant #4: Lacey Brown is from Amarillo, TX. She comes from a really supportive family. We see home video of her as a child. Her parents have been pastors for many years and she has sung in the church. He says she's naturally shy. He thinks it's amazing that she's overcome her shyness to be on the "Idol" stage.

Song: "Ruby Tuesday"

Performance: Lacey uses a string quartet which sounds lovely. She looks very cute and sounds fine. Not super exciting but well-controlled.

Randy: Loved the string quartet and the arrangement. There were no wow moments but he was pleasantly surprised.

Ellen: Wonders why she stood during the slow part and when the song built she sat down. She thought it was a bit sleepy.

Kara: She says it was 50/50 for her. She likes her voice up front but thought there were some bad notes and she thinks that she can do better.

Simon: Says she performs like an actress and was very inside her head having thought out each moment of the performance in advance. He thought she sang fine though.



Contestant #5: Andrew Garcia tells us that his dad George was a musician and singer. Dad protests he was no professional. He was impressed when Andrew picked up the guitar and is sad he wasn't able to support his music aspirations financially he hopes he can take care of his family now. Dad is tearfully proud.

Song: "Gimme Shelter"

Performance: No guitar this week. Without it he seems physically a bit stiff with his arm movements. His voice sounds fine but a little light for this song.

Randy: Says he loves him but it was pitchy everywhere.

Ellen: Thought it was his best performance yet.

Kara: Thought there elements where they got the tone they like but thought he was disconnected from the lyrics.

Simon: Wondered what she wanted, him to come onstage in a tank? He thinks she's taking things too literally. Thinks he's somewhere in the middle. He thinks he gave it 100 percent but it didn't quite connect. He genuinely hopes he survives another week since he knows his been getting confusing advice.



Contestant #6: Katie Stevens. Her brothers and his friends and her family are waving Katie faces on sticks- Katie fans. She picked her song because the lyrics speak to her. She was familiar with some songs but not a big fan. She's from Connecticut and she loves it there. Her mom says she's a loving, happy kid. Katie says she was shy but her mom says she was a home. We see Katie at 8 singing at a wedding.

Song: "Wild Horses"

Performance: Bathed in white light on a stool she sings the song, if possible, even slower than it actually is. When she gets to the power part it sounds good and she's got some nice sustain. A few pitch problems and the tempo is deathly.

Randy: Says he knows they've been giving her misdirection but it's the kind of song if you sing it well it works. And he thinks she sang it well.

Ellen: Thought it started pitchy but thought it got amazing as she got into it.

Kara: Says it's never technically perfect and thought she made some nice variations on the melody but that she's heading in the right direction.

Simon: Says this is the only week she's chosen a really strong song. He thought she lost a bit of emotion in the second half but overall well done.



Contestant #7: Tim Urban is also from Texas and grew up in a family of 10 kids. We see them all playing football together. He played in high school but he gave up his pro dreams when he realized he would never get tall enough. His sisters used him as a doll. He picked up a guitar at 15. He's excited to be known as an individual outside his family.

Song: "Under My Thumb"

Performance: For some reason he gives it a Jack Johnson-ish reggae retrofit. Talk about being disconnected from the lyrics. Vocally it's not bad though. Goofily croony but pitch-wise not a nightmare.

Randy: Didn't get it and thought it was very bizarre and didn't serve him or the song well.

Ellen: Felt like she was at a resort sipping a pina colada. She thought he sounded great but didn't make sense on a night when he should've wowed.

Kara: She agrees but applauds him for doing something different with the song.

Simon: Also applauds the different strain but says it's kind of a boring song anyway but having said that, it didn't work and so he thinks it was a crazy decision.

He knew it would be risk but he had fun.



Contestant #8: Siobhan Magnus is from Cape Cod, MA, Barnstable specifically. Her family is huge and they are her support system. We see her big family. Her dad says they all do arts and crafts and play music. She and her dad play together, they use it as an outlet to let off steam. He's really proud of her.

Song: "Paint it Black"

Performance: Another use of the string quartet. She starts slow and low sitting on the staircase. She looks great although the goth prom thing is only working partially with the song. The song ramps up and she hits center stage. She sounds good but it feels pitched a bit too low. She counteracts that by screaming near the end and then ending up in her head voice.

Randy: Thinks she's bringing the drama and that it was hot.

Ellen: Loves the way she looks, sounds, and the way she did the song. She thinks she rises above.

Kara: Is having flashbacks of Adam Lambert and says it was the best interpretation of the night.

Simon: Totally agrees and that it was the stand out performance of the night. He sees her progression well. He thinks there are going to be a lot of people who love it and others who will hate it which is good, because it's not boring.



Contestant #9: Lee Dwyze is from Chicago. Six months ago he was working paycheck to paycheck at the paint store and he's loving this. When he was yougner he was embarrassed to sing in front of people. His parents remember him singing in the car as long as no one looked at him. They encouraged him.

Song: "Beast of Burden"

Performance: He's got his guitar and he's taking a murmury approach, sort of Dave Matthews-esque, kind of light and bouncy.

Randy: Thinks he's amazing singer and it came home for him and he thinks it was a cross between Rob Thomas and Dave Matthews.

Ellen: Thought it was great and he sounded great but she was expecting more from him of everyone. She says it almost didn't come together... like a hospital gown.

Kara: Thinks he's growing faster than anyone vocally and confidence-wise.

Simon: Really likes him and his story but he thinks his shine-free personality is holding him back. He had no wow moment and it's frustrating and he wants him to have more confident.

He agrees a bit that it's a safe song but he liked what he did.



Contestant #10: Paige Miles is from Naples, Florida. Her mom is amazing, they lost her dad shen she was four so her mom has gone it alone. She grew up singing in the church and everyone was blown away by her and people would come to church when they knew she was singing.

Song: "Honky Tonk Woman"

Performance: She changes the pronoun in the first line which is really irritating. She's into it though and sounds okay. She's look great though.

Randy: Was worried about the choice but thought she pulled it out. He wished she had more energy but he liked it.

Ellen: Loves that she used the stage and she has great star quality and no one would know she'd be struggling with her voice.

Kara: Is also impressed with her vocals given her apparent issues and is glad to see the young Paige, who knows how to work the stage is back.

Simon: Asks what was wrong - she has laryngitis- he says given that, she sounded great, but he thought it was old-fashioned and generic but is glad to hear her voice back.



Contestant #11: Aaron Kelly is from a one-stoplight town in Pennsylvania. He was adopted at 5. His mom is apparently a bad singer and she's blown away when she hears him. She's very proud.

Song: "Angie"

Performance: He also starts on the stairs, he messes up his vocal entrance a bit cue-wise, but he sounds pretty good. I think this was his best performance yet. Assured, tender, on pitch, nicely rendered.

Randy: Says he was born to sing, liked the tender moments, thought it was hot.

Ellen: Wonders if he's trying to copy her hairstyle. Loved the choice and next to Siobhan he also stood out.

Kara: Says she beat him up good last night and he showed her, especially with his connection.

Simon: He feared for him on Rolling Stones week but thought he chose the perfect song. He thought it was good that he sang the song to the limits of his voice instead of trying to overdo it.



Contestant #12: Crystal Bowersox is from rural Ohio. Her dad has been very supportive of her music, humping her equipment around to gigs. She started writing at 10 and it comes from her childhood and teenage experiences. Dad likes her songwirting and tears up takling about one she wrote about him that was loving. She knew she was born to do this as soon as she's touched a guitar.

Song: "You Can't Always Get What You Want"

Performance: She gives it a pretty straight read, starting out tender working up to giving it a little soul grit and backbeat and ends quietly.

Randy: Doesn't think it was her best performance but loves her and thought she was good.

Ellen: Thinks it seems so effortless for her but what she's been missing is personality and she saw a bit of that tonight. Crystal says she was thinking too much. Ellen tells her not too think and have more fun.

Kara: Loves that she's comfortable and is easy to watch but agrees it wasn't her best and says sometimes her ease might come off to some like arrogance.

Simon: Asks what she means by overthinking. She says she wasn't in the right zone. He says he could feel that. He says she came out the clear favorite and tonight she was beaten by someone: Siobhan.

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